Customer Reviews

Real Men Don't Apologize

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Jim Belushi is really funny. I love According To Jim. He's quick on the mark and he's a hoot. I was intersted in reading this because he is so funny - even though this is obviously dedicated to men. It's not an advice book though - it's insightful and surprisingly so. While there is advice in there, it's main goal was to be a funny read. This is his comical take on life and love. He does get serious through a portion of it - he goes on to talk about his brother dying and trying to make it as an actor too.
He loves relationship expert Justin Sterlings concept of three types of men; the Curly, the Ghandi and the Clint. Curly (of The Three Stoges fame) for humour, Ghandi for compassion and Clint for strength. I guess Jim is the Curly mainly.
He strongly wants guys to read this, but not women so much because he'll let out too many mens secrets.
This really is a good read. I'm most of the way through and I'm going strong. It's humourous, touching in parts and very very enjoyable.

The real charm of this book is that it is incredibly funny and incredibly true. You will really feel that truth in your gut when you read this.
You will also laugh yourself sore and learn (and unlearn) a ton about the mystical world of male/female relationships, and volumes about how to be the kind of man that your woman would cheat on you for ;>)
I'm sure there are some people that will read this book and somehow be offended. My advice them would be to get real, in a hurry. You're missing out on life.
I'm making sure my "guys" read this too. It will keep them out of a world of trouble, and give them an opportunity to thrive.
This is mandatory reading for anyone in a relationship, or who anyone wants to be the kind of man the world needs more of.
Thanks Belushi!!

Just finished reading Jim Belushi's book, 'Real Men Don't Apologize.'

On balance a very good book. I had some qualms, some issues with references I didn't follow, some advice I'd disagree with.

But on balance, a very respectable entry into the world of coaching for men.

One of the entries I liked most about his book was a passage on boundaries.

Having rececently completed my relationship coaching certification, the topic of identifying and sticking to your relationship requirements was of great interest to me.

Belushi puts this concept into his own terms - first in terms of the caveman, and the three personas a man should embrace - the Clint (Eastwood, strength), the Ghandi (spiritual sensitivity) and the Curly (Howard, humor). Those examples worked.

"Then our caveman friend bared his teeth and smacked his ass to let his woman know he was unwavering, an early Clint.

Oh sure, she was upset. But she realized her caveman was right...And even though she was mad, she respected our caveman's strength for standing his ground. He set boundaries. He established rules for the relationship."

He goes on to write about how those boundaries will be put to the test in a relationship:

"So in order to make sure their men are strong, women need to test us. And if your want your relationship to work, you have to pass the test.

It starts with little things...Ask yourself: Does it compromise my agreements with myself, my terms? Does what she asks me to compromise me as a man?

...The longer you are in a relationship, however the tougher the tests become."

And there you have it.

Tests are part of a relationship, the only thing you can do is determine which battles are worth fighting, which parts of your life are worth a sit down.

(That's mob talk for 'working things out.' :)

- Razr

Many years ago, there was a book (and an audio presentation) called Real Men Don't Eat Quiche. It was a man's guide to being a man. It was also written in the early 1990's.

Jim Belushi, the star of ABC's According to Jim, has taken it upon himself to do the update with his book , Real Men Don't Apologize (one MP3, Four hours, abridged, Brilliance audio). The advice Belushi gives in sound MACHO advice for today's males over the age of 35. It makes sense for Today's man

The humor in this production is so true to life and the advice makes sense. His reading of his book is good, better than most celebrity narrators...which is above the rest. Belushi uses his TV JIM persona to help characterwise to move this abridgement along, It works for him.

Also included in this audio presentation is Belushi singing with his band the Sacred Hearts. The musical selections seem like the Blues Brothers which is brother John was involved in.

This audio is a good piece of humor for the modern man...and the modern woman listening next to him.

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

Picked this book up at an airport on a whim, and it turned out to be one of the better investments I've made in a long time. Belushi does an excellent job of blending a lot of useful advice on what it takes to be a man with his own life stories to validate his opinions, along with plenty of humor to keep pretty much any reader entertained from cover to cover.

From definining your "terms" to the explanation of the "Glurk", Belushi pretty much hits the nail on the head as far as explaining some keys to the guy's guy way to handle women, friends, low times, and life in general.

I would recommend this book to any man of any age, and have already loaned mine out to a number of my cheapskate buddies who claim they don't know where the nearest Waldenbooks is. If you're a man and you read this book and don't pick up any new advice and think you already knew all of this, then in Belushi's words, where's YOUR book?

For the women who read it, I hope you get some enjoyment out of it, but please remember this is written by a man for men, and let us men review this book, amongst ourselves, in peace - the stuff in this book means a heck of a lot more to us than it ever will to you.

Every woman should buy this book... and every man should read it. I thought it was honest. Funny. Humble. Entertaining. Women would get a better glimpse at how men think by reading this than by reading dating books that tell them to bleach their teeth and have softer hair (wow, right?). This proves: it's all in the attitude.
Thoroughly enjoyable. I'm waiting for his next book.

One of my favorite books ever! Great advice from Mr. Belushi. I'm 24 and i recommend this book to every young man. This book will "put hair in your chest", as Brando said in one of his movies. Forget the other self help books for men. If you're looking for honest advice, this is the right book.
I liked the book so much that i took a day off from work to go and meet Mr. Belushi (he was comming in Chicago for booksigning). So, I got to meet Mr.Belushi, he signed my book and wished me a happy birthday, since i revealed to him it was my birthday that day. It was a great experience, the book itself and meeting Mr.Belushi right after reading his book!

I was not too kind to a woman's advice book I reviewed on Amazon awhile back, so I need to say, what justifies this book getting four stars is you know Jim Belushi is trying to be humorous first and (occasionally) insightful second. He gets a good chuckle on every other page, and a few times per chapter he gets a good belly laugh, so I'd call the book a success on that account. If you're a card-carrying member of NOW, you already know not to read this book unless its to blast it in a review. Please do, it will generate lots of free publicity for Jimmy. This is typical guy-talk on the surface, the stuff that can make a "modern" woman's skin crawl. However, at the end of his rants and raves, you find a pretty dependable, decent guy that will stand behind what he believes and the people in his life, and that's what counts in the end.
Jim gives the type of advice you'd hear from guys in a South Side bar on Friday night. Now he pretties it up a bit being all Hollywood, but unless you've got a strong daddy or uncles left in your family, a lot of guys don't get this kind of wise talk on a regular basis. I do agree with Jim, modern society has rewritten the "rules" to suit the collective whims of women, and this isn't necessarily in either society's best interests, your best interests as an individual male, OR women's best long-term interests either. One of his truisms, is that men need to have a support network of guys they can trust. So true. One of the reasons women have become so much more powerful the past 30 years is their endless networking amongst themselves. Don't ever underestimate the importance of social support from friends and peers. The inner Clint is important, but only in the movies does Clint take on a whole gang of thugs by himself and come out alive. There are other insights, but I forgot them now. Read the book.
At other points, Jim sounds like he's really onto something, or he's going to tackle a touchy subject, but then it seems to slip away. Ahh, Jimmy, the world's going to continue waiting for a modern male manifesto. At least Jim's pointing the way, getting a few laughs, and getting paid. Not a bad gig. Problem with men nowadays, is there are a lot of SMART guys, but finding guys that are both SMART and WISE takes extra work. By the time most of us get the WISE part, we're either ancient, or beat up by life to the point we just want the easiest, fattest paycheck and to be left alone. Modern women know the average guy is putty in their hands, and that's why they can work us so well, especially when they make it a collaborative effort. And modern women, with their Cosmopolitan magazine, Oprah, and endless social networking amongst themselves, have male behavior under the microscope from the first pick-up line until they either put you in your grave or the judge signs the divorce papers. Don't be a fool, and don't end up a tool, unless its a tool for change.

Anyways, Jimmy, you get four stars. Funny book, with enough insights to make it worth picking up to thumb through when the King decides to sit on his throne and think deep thoughts.

I really enjoyed Phillip Roth's "The Plot Against America", but felt it feel apart in the last third. Not so for "Real Men Don't Apologize." This is a solid tome from cover to cover. I'm thinking National Book Award.

Perhaps this is Jim Belushi's true feelings about love and life. Perhaps this book was written in his "According to Jim" character (or a combination of both). Either way, it's a cute "macho guy" take on just about everything and he dared show us, the reader, his softer side by describing his lows in life, his respect for his current wife, and his touching admiration for his late brother, John (I admit I got misty when he said John was the "first man I ever knew").

If you're a fan of "According to Jim" (and I love the show ... especially when Jim's wearing those boxers and tight jeans), you'll see very little difference between Jim's character and this book, but it's worth the read to get the sports-loving, beer-guzzling, macho male's take on life (note to self: This is not all men speaking).

Entertaining, light read, but there's some practical lessons to be learned here as well. - Donna Di Giacomo